The Foolish Dictionary

Wurdz, Gideon, 1875-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 98K words
Chapters: 10

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Foolish Dictionary by Gideon WurdzAuthor: Wurdz, Gideon, 1875-,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 1, 2007

Editor's review

This early twentieth-century English humorous dictionary redefines everyday words in a playful vein, turning the sober format of a reference work into a stage for irony and wordplay. Compact and easy to dip into, its appeal lies in witty dismantlings of meaning and a period voice that lets readers enjoy it both as light English humor and as a window into American teasing sensibilities a century ago. As a free eBook from Project Gutenberg, it is easy to obtain and well suited to commutes, bedtime, or spare moments. Note that it is not a serious dictionary and should not be used as an English-learning tool; its puns and cultural jokes also demand a certain level of English reading ability. Reading it with friends and explaining the jokes to one another makes it more fun and makes the author's quiet wit in brief entries easier to appreciate.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy light English humor and wordplay
Commuters who need lightweight reading for fragmented time
Readers interested in early twentieth-century American popular publishing
Learners with some English foundation who want a change of pace in original-language reading

Not a good fit for

English beginners or exam candidates who need accurate word meanings
Readers expecting a systematic introduction to lexicography or linguistics
Readers who only want novels or complete narratives

Reading tips

No need to read from start to finish; flip to a few pages at random each day and treat entries as standalone pieces.
When you hit a pun you don't get, guess first and then check, to follow how the author rewrites definitions.
Read with friends, taking turns explaining the jokes and testing whether your English understanding holds up.
After finishing, try writing a few playful definitions of your own as a small English writing exercise.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this dictionary suitable for learning English vocabulary?

It is not suitable as a proper vocabulary book. Its "definitions" are mostly deliberate distortions and jokes and cannot be used as a basis for word meaning. It is better as supplementary reading for experiencing humor and language feel once you already have some English foundation; for uncertain words, still check an authoritative dictionary.

Why is it said to be better for fragmented reading?

The book consists of short entries, each self-contained with no dependence on what comes before or after, so you can pick it up and put it down without losing the thread. A few entries on a commute, in a queue, or before bed are enough; no long continuous stretch is needed, and you don't need to remember earlier content.

What if I don't understand the jokes?

You can set it aside and come back the next day; or look up the ordinary meaning of an entry and compare it with the author's rewrite, which often reveals the contrast. If it still isn't clear, discuss it with a friend, or skip it for now and keep reading other entries; after building up language feel, return to it.

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About the author

Wurdz, Gideon, 1875- Author · American · 1875

Gideon Wurdz (born 1875) was an American humorist whose life and education are very sparsely documented in publicly available sources; today he is remembered chiefly for The Foolish Dictionary. Cast in the form of a dictionary, the book offers playful reinterpretations of words and idioms, using definitions as vehicles for satire and wordplay, and displays a light, mocking, and witty style. Wordplay humor of this kind was popular in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and Wurdz's dictionary is a representative example of that tradition, still regarded as one of its notable texts and retaining a place among humorous dictionaries.